


House By The Sea

by LeeChickPea



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Alteans, Alteans are a Nomadic people, Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Alternate Universe - Pirates, Drama & Romance, Female Pronouns for Pidge | Katie Holt, Immortality, M/M, Nederlands | Dutch, Sort Of, also pidge is a big ole lesbian, it’s not touched on too much but hey, lgbt author
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-04-02
Updated: 2018-06-21
Packaged: 2019-04-17 11:02:19
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 2
Words: 6,873
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14187480
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LeeChickPea/pseuds/LeeChickPea
Summary: Keith, a fish merchant, lives a mundane life, running his business with his brother, when adventure literally smacks him in the head, adventure namedLance.Lance, a shipmate for a mysterious ship, lives a life that is anything mundane, and simply wishes to have someone special in his life, when adventure causes him to whack someone in the head, someone namedKeith.With two completely different worlds, the two attempt to maintain a relationship. What they didn’t expect was a relationship full of admiration, longing, and love.





	1. Chapter 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My first Voltron fic! I’m really excited for this one. This story doesn’t exactly take place in a historical time period, cause it has some modern lingo and whatnot, but the aesthetics of the Netherlands and Dutch Europe is there. The geography, currency, and the “pirate” setting mirrors that of 16th-17th century Netherlands. This story also focuses almost solely on Keith and Lance’s blossoming relationship. It’s a love story, plain and simple.
> 
> I was inspired by the song “House By The Sea” by Moddi: https://youtu.be/lX5FpPP4TSA
> 
> I’ve made a sideblog on tumblr to post personal updates, if you’re interested. leechickpea.tumblr.com

_Keith always awoke first. He couldn’t quite understand why, but he didn’t mind. He had the opportunity to sit up upon his elbow, admiring how peaceful, beautiful, perfect Lance looked when he slept. His lashes were long, resting on his cheeks. His lips slightly puckered, and Keith always thought it was adorable. Lance looked at peace in sleep._

_Keith pushed the few short stray brown locks from Lance’s face, fingers ghosting along his forehead. Lance stirred slightly, scrunching his eyes before opening them, allowing Keith to drown in the deep blue of his irises. Lance’s eyes were so unique, positively gorgeous, inviting and warm. Lance looked at Keith with those eyes, enveloping him with warmth. Lance wrapped his arm around Keith’s neck, tugging him down so he was lying on his side next to Lance._

_“How long have you been awake, hon?” His beloved asked, and Keith placed a kiss on Lance’s nose, earning an earnest giggle from him. His heart swelled at the sound._

_“Only for a couple of minutes. Sorry if I woke you.” Keith replied, and Lance’s warm hands shuffled around under the sheets before finding their way to Keith’s cheeks, pulling him forward and kissing him on the lips. It was chaste, soft and sweet._

_“Every moment I spend with you is bliss. Never apologize for that.” Lance whispered on Keith’s lips, resting their foreheads together. Keith wrapped his arms around Lance’s waist, drawing him close to where their bodies were flush against each other._

_“Can we go out to the back?” Lance asked._

_“Right now?” Keith inquired._

_“Yes!” Lance said, enthusiastically. Keith smiled, once again kissing Lance’s nose._

_“Of course. Lead the way, scout.” Lance jumped out of bed, hauling Keith up with him as he shucked on one of Keith’s old worker shirts, and Keith thought he looked adorable in it. Lance made his way to the french doors in their room, pulling the thin white curtains and opening both the doors at once, letting the beach air wash over him. Keith followed close behind as Lance made his way out of their room, walking on their wooden balcony and finally making physical contact with the crystal-like sand._

_“Oh, it’s such a beautiful day, isn’t it?” Lance sighed, taking Keith’s hand in his own. Keith laced their fingers together, happily walking beside Lance as they walked to the ocean._

_“You say that everyday, love.” Keith said, his somber tone hinting that he hoped Lance never stopped mentioning it._

_“Am I ever wrong?” Lance asked, smirking at Keith as he yanked him closer, their shoulders touching._

_“No, Lance, you’re never wrong.” Keith replied, pressing a kiss to his temple. His thumb was gently rubbing against the side of Lance’s smooth palm, and they both looked out to the sea, the feeling of love and contentment resting in both their hearts. “I love you, Lance.”_

_Lance let go of Keith’s hand, instead wrapping his arms around Keith’s waist, pulling him even closer, and rested his head in the crook of Keith’s neck._

_“I love you too, Keith.”_

__________

“That will be sixty guilders, ma’am.” Keith stated, and the middle aged woman scowled at him, beginning to fish around in her bag.

“How preposterous! So expensive, just for some mackerel, at that.” She huffed, and Keith had to refrain from rolling his eyes. He kept his neutral expression as she shoved the coins in his hands, then picking up the wrapped mackerel.

“I apologize ma’am, but it’s October. The mackerel are becoming more scarce, thus the prices have to go up. I’m sorry for the inconvenience.” Keith bit out, mouth going sour from having to apologize to this woman. She scoffed, and didn’t spare Keith one more glance before turning on her heel and stomping away from his kiosk, her feet bending to the rocky pavement and bumping and shoving through the line of human traffic. Keith grimaced and leaned back on his stool. He blew stray bangs from his eyes, and tightened his ponytail.

It was starting to feel like October. There was a slight chill in the air, and Keith had to button up his worker shirt to avoid the cold. This time of year was annoying to be working, as his kiosk was outside, right on the shore. The only thing separating him from the dock was the short stone wall that lined their small town from the sea.

Keith yawned, and just wanted the day to be over. Yet, the sun was just above the horizon, meaning the day had barely started. He still had almost an entire day’s worth of work. Brutal.

“Keith,” Shiro’s voice startled Keith, making him spazz a little before spinning around in his stool to face his brother, “can you go to the docks to get today’s load? I promised Allura I would help her deliver her fabrics to buyers today.” Shiro said, and Keith sighed, rubbing the back of his neck in thought. He was seriously set on napping for the rest of the work day, but he knew Shiro rarely asked for help, so he’d minus well.

“No problem, Shiro. Where are they dropping off?” Keith asked, standing up and stretching his legs. Shiro pointed to the right side of the dock, to the large ship that was being unloaded. The sails were currently tucked, and it looked as though they were ripped, thus why they were also being replaced. He watched as men and women unloaded crates and barrels of goods, some of which contained their fish. Keith nodded.

“Thanks, Keith. I owe you one.” Shiro said, clapping Keith on the back before grabbing a few empty crates from under the tables that made up their kiosk and moving the tarp open, shuffling out.

“Yeah you do.” Keith replied, smirking just a bit. “Be safe.” Keith added quickly, and Shiro nodded, waving a quick goodbye before making his way over to Allura’s fabric shop, leaving Keith alone. He groaned, but walked out of his kiosk, hopping over the short stone wall, landing on the wooden dock. He was rarely on this side, and was unfamiliar with the creaking wood beneath his feet, and the smell of the ocean being so powerful. He sauntered over to the ship, climbing the wooden steps to get to the main deck.

It was quite a nice ship. It had an ancient sense to it, as if it’s been around for centuries, yet looked in its best shape. His eyes wandered, taking in the few sites of the ship. Men and women hustled past him every now and then, crates in their hands as they continued to unload and sell. Keith wasn’t exactly paying attention to what was happening right in front of him.

 _“Look out!”_ A voice yelled at him, but he reacted too late, and the horizontal wooden pole holding one of the bigger sails smacked him right in the forehead, scraping along and knocking him on his back. He let out a startled yelp, followed by a pained groan, as he arched his back from the rough impact to the wooden floor.

The entirety of his forehead throbbed in pain, causing him to squeeze his eyes shut. He immediately put his hand on his forehead, rubbing the upper left part, where his hairline began. He faintly heard footsteps rushing over, then a figure dropping to their knees. A hand cradled his neck, and he opened his eyes, and felt as though the pain in his head was weighing down on his eyebrows. It was a chore keeping his eyelids from forcibly closing.

“I’m terribly sorry, sir! I didn’t even see you there before I pulled the sail. How bad does it hurt?” A panicked voice greeted him, and when his vision somewhat cleared, he saw piercing navy blue eyes peering down at him, laced with worry and guilt. It was a man, a man who had tan skin, which looked both natural and assisted by the sunlight, and mahogany colored hair that lightly blew with the chilled wind.

He was quite handsome, Keith’s delirious mind thought.

“Oh, you’re bleeding, hon. You poor thing. Here, let’s get you to a washroom to clean you up, okay?” The man stood up, hauling Keith up with him, throwing Keith’s arm over his shoulders.

“Thanks.” Keith said, and brought a hand up to his head, wincing at the sharp pain when they made contact.

“I’m so sorry, we’re gonna get you all cleaned up. Are you missing anything right now?” The man asked, and Keith rubbed his eye with the heel of his palm.

“Uh… I’m here to pick up some loads of fish.” Keith responded, and the man fiddled with the doorknob, pushing the door open and plopping him down on a barrel next to a bucket of water, with dry rags hanging next to it.

“You don’t have to do all of this, it was an accident.” Keith said to the guy, who was wringing out the water from a now wet rag, and making his way over to Keith.

“Shush, now. Let me clean you up.” The man pressed the wet cloth to the small wound, gently dabbing the blood away, and he placed a secure hand behind Keith’s head, and began massaging where Keith hit his head when he fell over. It felt wonderful, and strangely domestic, and when Keith peered up and the man, he gave Keith a warm smile, which made Keith shift his eyes away and his body hot.

He really was a site for sore eyes. He was focused, his eyebrows slightly furrowed as he cleaned the wound. His hands were soft, unusual for someone who worked on a ship, but nice to Keith’s skin as his hand kept making contact with Keith’s head. His eyes, the ones he was just staring deep into, were a shade of blue Keith had never seen before. Dark, like the sea during nighttime, and yet they shimmered with geniality and hopefulness. His lips looked untouched by anyone other than the man himself, and Keith couldn’t help but admire how well he seemed to take care of himself. His skin was smooth, his hair was clean, if somewhat untamed thanks to the weather. He was handsome, not in the way that would intimidate someone, but in a way that radiated inviting warmth and generosity. That generosity was manifesting itself right now, as he helped Keith, a complete stranger. Keith felt his gut twisting and turning from the special attention he was being given.

“What’s your name, hon?” The man asked, while he pulled the wet rag away from Keith and dropped it in the bucket, reaching for a dry one next. Keith suspected that it was to bandage the wound. The man knew what he was doing, and that reassured Keith.

“Keith.” He answered, and the man nodded, folding up the rag and wrapping it around Keith’s head, securing it by tying the ends together behind Keith’s head. “Yours?”

“I’m Lance. I work on the docks, unloading, cleaning, repairs. You said you had to pick up a load of fish. I’m guessing you sell it?” Lance inquired, offering his hand to help Keith up, which he takes. When they were standing in front of each other, Keith noticed that they stood at the exact same height, their eyesight meeting directly. It felt familiar. It felt safe.

“Yeah. I sell right by the docks. I work with my brother, Shiro.”

“Your brother is _Shiro?_ No wonder I thought you looked familiar!” Lance exclaimed, grasping onto Keith’s bicep as he smiled. “Shiro usually comes by to pick up the load. Why’s it you today? Not that I mind you being here, of course. I’m pleased to meet your acquaintance.” Lance tugged Keith out of the washroom, leading him back onto the main deck. The sun was now almost at its highest point.

“Shiro’s helping our friend with shipments today. I’m not usually put in charge of this, but today’s an exception.” Keith explained, following Lance as he guided him by the bicep to the cargo area. Keith usually didn’t like or tolerate strangers physically touching him, but Lance held his arm so softly, tenderly. It was as if there wasn’t a hurt bone in the guy’s body.

“Oh? That’s a shame. You should come pick up your shipments more often. It’s not everyday a looker like you shows up on our ships.” Lance’s eyes gleamed mischievously. Was he _flirting?_ With _Keith?_ Keith wasn’t used to attention like this, so he shrunk in on himself.

“I-uh…” Keith stammered, and Lance let out a casual, breathy laugh.

“Lance! Are you almost done with the sails?” Someone called from behind them, and both of them turned to see who it was. A woman, small in stature, with warm ginger hair and large spectacles that made her brown eyes look larger than they likely were. She had a small barrel secure over her shoulder, and her short hair was pulled back, like Keith’s was.

“Almost, Pidge. I had a little accident, though.” Lance said sheepishly, nodding his head at Keith, and his obvious bandage. Pidge shook her head, but Keith could see a small smile creeping up on her face.

“You off to the cargo area?” She asked, taking the barrel off of her shoulder and holding in under her arm. Lance nodded. “Here, you take this,” she tossed the barrel to Lance, which he caught effortlessly, “and I’ll finish the sails for you. You know how Boss gets when things aren’t done on time.” Pidge said, her hands resting as fists on her hips. Lance seemed to deflate at the mention of their employer, and scoffed.

“Yeah, I know. Be back soon. Where’s Hunk?” Keith felt like a real outsider in the conversation, but simply continued to be a spectator.

“He finished his load, he’s making food for just the three of us. Seabass, your favorite. It’ll be ready around dinner time.” Pidge winked at him, and waved goodbye to the both of them. “What’s your name, stranger?” She asked.

“Keith.”

“Pleasure to meet you Keith. You should keep visiting. I haven’t seen that one so excited in a long time.” Pidge commented slyly, making Keith scrunch his eyebrows and Lance sputter, raising a finger before she sauntered in the opposite direction.

“What’d she mean by that?” Keith asked when they started walking again, noticing that Lance had become a little flustered. Lance waved his hand, dismissing the question.

“She’s just being silly, don’t mind her. She’s a real gremlin, she is.” Lance laughed.

They finally made it to the cargo area, and it seemed to be clearing out. Keith spotted a couple of crates, marked with his seller’s insignia, and signaled to them, which both him and Lance went to. Full of Carp and Seabass, since they were in season, and some Mackerel and Garfish.

“Need help taking this back?” Lance offered, and Keith wanted to decline, as he didn’t want to ask too much of this guy even though he just met him, but he knew he couldn’t take all the crates by himself, and accepted the offer instead.

“Thanks for helping me.” Keith said, stacking two crates on top of each other, hauling it up. Lance did the same, walking next to him as they made their way off the ship, back onto the mainland. “And thanks for cleaning me up.”

“No need to thank me, Keith. I did bonk you square in the head, still sorry about that!” Lance said, and Keith sighed, sounding his contentment. “Hey, you should come visit more, though. You seem nice. We could be friends.” Lance offered, and Keith whipped his head to look at Lance. His face and tone made it seem like he was actually sincere. Keith was bewildered by that.

“You don’t even know me.” Keith countered. Lance laughed. It wasn’t hearty, it was graceful. Everything Lance did seemed calculated and suave.

“You’re right, I don’t know you. That’s exactly why I want to be friends with you. Don’t you got any friends on the mainland?” Lance asked, and Keith shrugged in response.

“Not really.” And it was true. He really only was in contact with his brother, and sometimes Allura. Keith was realizing that he really didn’t have many people in his inner circle, which never really bothered him all that much. He and his brother had been on their own for most of his life. He has grown used to it, content with it, really. But Lance seemed to be having none of that.

“Well, you’re gonna be friends with me.” Lance declared, and Keith scoffed, raising his eyebrow and looking at Lance.

“Why’s that?”

“Because I _said_ so.”

“Well, I simply _can’t_ argue with that.” Sarcasm laced his tone, and Lance laughed, playfully bumping their shoulders together.

“See? We’re already bantering like friends. You’ll visit more often, right?” The two finally made it to Keith’s kiosk, and Lance set the crate down next to the chilled barrel that held the fish and kept them fresh. Keith shuffled around in his pocket and pulled out his knife, using it to pop the lid off of the crates.

Did Keith really want to? He did not expect his day to go like this. And he certainly wasn’t looking for new companions. Plus, Lance seemed like a _lot_ to handle.

But, his gut was telling him that he could handle that lot. That he _should._ That he should keep Lance close. He was so genuine, sincere and real. It overwhelmed Keith somewhat, had his head spinning, but enveloped him in this sense of warmth and security. He began unloading the fish into the ice-filled barrel, lightly gnawing at his lip, before his brain gave into his gut and he nodded.

“Fine. Our next shipment is next month, so I’ll come pick it up, maybe stick around. Satisfied?” Keith offered, and Lance let out a giddy noise, pulling at Keith’s arm excitedly.

“Wonderful! We’re gonna be good friends, Keith. I can feel it. And you’re gonna meet Hunk! He’s amazing. You’ll love him, too.” Lance leaned on the kiosk table by his hip, and Keith noticed that Lance sported white the voluptuous figure. Toned arms, curvy hips, long legs. He was perfectly proportioned and shapely.

Keith felt embarrassed by these thoughts and quickly looked away.

“I’ll see you real soon, hon.” Lance waved goodbye to Keith, and he returned the gesture, watching as Lance hopped over the wall, making his way back to the ship.

Keith plopped back down on his stool, running a hand through his hair and undoing his ponytail. What an afternoon. That was the most social Keith had ever been, well, in his life. And he had to get hit in the head with a sail for it to happen. God worked in mysterious ways, he thought.

He brought his hand up to the rag wrapped around his head, applying some pressure to his small wound. It only slightly stung, not enough to really hurt. Lance really did help him. He felt nurtured.

Lance had that effect on Keith. When Lance looked at him, it was as if Lance’s world stopped and the only thing that mattered to him was whatever he was looking at, specifically, Keith. When he smiled, the corner of his eyes would crinkle, and his lips would purse. It was truly a delight to watch Lance.

Despite the way he sounded, Keith was especially excited to see Lance again next week. His life was rather mundane, as he dragged through his work days with little joy. But this one afternoon he spent with Lance was like a breath of fresh air, it slapped him in the face. Or rather, hit him in the head.

Keith smiled, just slightly, and watched as Lance turned back around before boarding the ship again. Lance smiled again, and sent a silly wink Keith’s way, then boarded. Keith felt the tips of his ears burn and he quickly looked away.

Lance was going to be an overwhelming friend, indeed.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Again, if you’d like to personally talk with me or ben in touch with my personal affairs, you can follow my sideblog: leechickpea.tumblr.com


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A quick note! In my story, Alteans are a nomadic people, and most closely resemble the societal and nomadic presence of real life Romani people in the 16th/17th century.

After that, Keith waited for the month to pass, and for his next shipment to arrive.

 

Keith lived a relatively seclusive life. He only had his brother, and they’ve been running their business for a couple of years. He only talked to other people when he was selling his product. Keith had never realized how affection-starved he really was.

 

In that week, he caught a glimpse of Lance everyday. Keith would usually stare for too long and get caught by Lance, who would wave and give him a flirtatious wink, to which he had little idea of how to react, so he would look away. By the time he looked back, Lance would be gone.

 

Keith wondered how busy Lance’s job made him. With Keith, he sat on a stool all day and gave wrapped fish to usually rude customers. Whenever Keith saw Lance, he was rushing around, or carrying something, or tending to others. It seemed like there wasn’t a moment that Lance could relax.

 

Finally, on that Sunday, his shipment came.

 

“Hey Shiro, I’m gonna go get our shipment, so don’t worry about it. Can you man the tent for now?” Keith stood from his stool, trying to avoid eye contact since he knew that Shiro would be a little sceptical of why.

 

“Oh? Why do you wanna get it today? You usually hate doing it.” Keith sighed, his shoulders slumping. Curse his brother for knowing Keith like the back of his hand.

 

“Nothing special, I just know you do it a lot and I think I should carry my weight a little more.” Keith answered, and dared to look over his shoulder to look at Shiro, who had a disbelieving face of  _ you’re full of shit. _

 

“Keith. What’s the reason?” Shiro leaned back in his chair, crossing his arms and raising his eyebrows. Keith huffed, turned around and leaned against the table.

 

“Fine. I promised a guy there that I would  _ visit  _ more often. He wants to be friends.” Keith admitted, and Shiro smiled, and Keith felt his face heating up from embarrassment. Keith didn’t have many friends, or  _ any,  _ for that matter, and it felt like he was confessing a dark secret that he was meeting with someone to be friends. 

 

“Who is it? I’m acquainted with some of the crew.”

 

“Lance?” Keith answered, and Shiro contemplated his answer, until he smiled and started to laugh slightly.

 

“Oh, Lance. I know him. He’s very sweet. He’d be a great friend.” Shiro simply said, but it seemed as though he was hinting at something else, something Keith didn’t know about. Keith didn’t like it all that much. He rolled his eyes.

 

“Whatever. I’ll be back soon.” Keith said passively, making his way out of the tent and looking over at Lance’s ship. 

 

“Hopefully not too soon!” Shiro called out, and Keith rolled his eyes again, hopping over the barrier wall and landing smoothly on the wooden dock. He scanned the dock, finally spotting Lance jogging over to another crew member and taking the barrel out of their arms and into his. Keith took a deep breath, wondered internally why he was so nervous suddenly, and called Lance’s name, waving his hand out.

 

Lance perked up, tucking the barrel under his bicep and looking all over, until his eyes settled on Keith’s figure, who looked slightly out of place and extremely nervous. Lance’s face lit up, and he sped over to Keith, the pep in his step practically floating him over.

 

“Keith! I’m glad you didn’t change your mind. I’m excited to see you! Follow me, I’ll help you with your shipment again. And hey! Hunk is making dinner again tonight, Carp. Hunk is an amazing cook.” Lance turned on his heel and began walking towards the ship, motioning Keith to follow him. Keith did, placing himself on Lance’s left side. “Tell me how you’ve been! Was is torturous being away from me for so long?” Lance teased, walking ahead of Keith as they boarded the ship. Keith scoffed.

 

“As if. I’m only here because you asked me.”

 

“You didn’t have to accept.” Lance countered, and Keith turned flustered, not replying. Lance hummed, leading Keith over to the cargo area, where he dropped off the barrel he had. “But seriously, what’s it like being a fish merchant? I couldn’t imagine having to deal with the people of this town all day long.”

 

“Now  _ that,  _ is torturous. I swear, the only time this town is at ease is when the tulips are in bloom.” Keith said, rolling his eyes. Lance cocked an eyebrow, sitting on one of the boxes, and Keith sat on one beside him.

 

“Tulips? What are those?” Lance asked, and he seemed to be serious. Keith raised his eyebrows, eyes widened. Was he being serious, or was he pulling jokes?

 

“You don’t know what tulips are?”

 

“I live the majority of my days on this ship and out at sea, I’m not a mainlander like you! Do you know what a zebrafish even looks like?” Lance accused, pointing a finger in Keith’s face.

 

“... Touché.” Keith said, and Lance laughed, and  _ wow  _ did Lance look gorgeous when he laughed. He pulled his hand up to his mouth, only slightly shielding his pearly white teeth, and he screwed his eyes shut, his long eyelashes laying against his cheeks. His lean, muscular shoulders shook, and his chest bobbed up and down, along with his Adam’s Apple. When he opened his eyes, the deep blue irises sparkled, and Keith felt mesmerized.

 

“So, tell me! What are tulips?” Lance’s voice snapped Keith out of his daze, and he quickly averted his gaze from Lance’s. He cleared his throat.

 

“Well, they’re flowers. They’re kinda narrow, even in bloom, and- Do you have paper, or something I can draw on?” Keith asked, fishing a pencil out of his pocket as Lance popped open a crate and pulled out a scrap of paper, handing it to Keith.

 

Keith began to sketch a tulip out, and Lance ended up on his knees, looking up at Keith and down at his paper in awe, watching Keith’s hand at work.

 

Keith was an incredibly handsome guy. He had rather peculiar indigo eyes, piercing and mysterious. His hair was usually pulled up in a ponytail, but his bangs stayed free, framing his face quite nicely. His work shirt was a plain white button up shirt, which left little to the imagination, as it pulled a little at his rather built frame. Contrary to Lance’s more lean figure, Keith was more muscular. His arms were toned and his hands were strong, strong enough to manhandle Lance is certain ways-

 

_ Lance! Get a hold of yourself! _

 

Sometimes Keith would spare a glance at Lance, who he would catch staring either in his eyes or roaming his body, and my God, was Lance  _ checking him out?  _ No way. Keith felt his face get hot, and his fingertips were tingling over his pencil. Keith wasn’t used to the attention Lance gave him, and he certainly wasn’t used to being stared at or checked out. It was both flattering, in how Lance thought he was attractive enough to size up, and mortifying, in how he thought he would disappoint Lance’s gaze. Keith subtly shook his head, and finally finished his sketch.

 

“This is what a tulip looks like.” He flipped the paper and slid it over to Lance, who picked it up, while intentionally brushing his fingers over Keith’s hand, before dragging them away and taking the paper with him. Keith wished Lance didn’t take his hand away.

 

“This is so pretty! You’re quite the artist, Keith. What color is the flower?” Lance’s voice turned giddy, and Keith felt his stomach flip. Keith slid off of the crate he was sitting on, instead sitting on the floor, beside Lance as he inspected Keith’s drawing.

 

“They’re usually red, but sometimes they come in colors like white, purple, and yellow. They all have meanings, too.” Keith said, and Lance looked at Keith, prompting him to explain all the meanings.

 

“Well, red means love, passion, stuff like that. Most guys give girls red tulips to show affection. White means forgiveness. My kiosk is next to a tulip kiosk and I usually see cheating husbands getting whites to apologize to their wives.” Lance giggled at that, and was tracing out the tulip with his finger. Keith noticed how elegant Lance’s hands were. “Purple tulips represent royalty, so not a lot are sold around here. I do see purple tulips being shipped off to dukes and nobles and the like, though.

 

“And then there’s yellow. Yellows are my favorite. They symbolize cheerful thoughts, happiness. They’re very pretty in the Spring.”

 

“I love Springtime! Is that when they bloom?” Lance asked, and Keith nodded. “Tulips sound amazing. And they look beautiful!” Lance’s gaze was locked on the sketch, and Keith felt his heart crawling in his chest, itching to spring out. “I think yellows are my favorite too. When you live out at sea, sometimes it can be hard to find happy thoughts.” Lance confessed, and Keith looked over at Lance, who didn’t lose his smile, but his eyes grew somber.

 

“It can get quite lonely out at sea, sometimes. And you can feel out of place. Humans aren’t designed to be out at sea, yet I spend the majority of my time there. Plus, I don’t really have anyone waiting for me on the mainland.” Lance sighed, gently stroking the paper, getting lost in his thoughts. Keith began to think, and absorb the feelings Lance told him.

 

“I understand that. That’s kind of why yellows are my favorite, too.” Lance perked up at Keith, looking over at him. “I lost my parents at a young age, and it’s just been my brother and I for the majority of my life. The life of a fish merchant isn’t so glamorous. I want to give my life purpose, but I can’t. But the yellow tulips give me hope, I suppose. If a flower can have cheerful thoughts, then I can too.” Keith lamented, and he softened at Lance’s relieved and calm face.

 

“It seems we’re both lonely fools, looking for purpose.” Lance said, putting the paper to the side and turning his full attention to Keith.

 

Silence filled the room, and Keith hadn’t even noticed until that moment that the two of them were pressed up against one another. Their shoulders touching, hips close to contact, and now, Lance’s hands were close to his own, fingertips ghosting along the back of Keith’s hand. Nervousness flooded Keith’s head, and he swallowed, looking into Lance’s suddenly serious eyes. By some gravitational pull, they were inching closer to one another, their faces nearly touching, and Keith could feel Lance’s warmth radiating off his sun kissed skin. Lance gnawed at his lip, looking down at Keith’s lips, flipping between looking at them and Keith’s eyes. They both swallowed. Were they really doing this?

 

“If you’re not here to pick anything up, suck face elsewhere.” Pidge’s voice and the forceful swing of the door opening made the two men flinch, quickly scooting away from one another, embarrassment filling their bodies from head to toe. Lance shot a menacing glare at Pidge, who smirked, dumping a crate in the corner of the room. “The sun’s set, so work’s over. Hunk wants us in his quarters soon.” Pidge said, pulling slightly on her suspenders and marching out of the cargo room. Lance shook his head, heaving himself up and dusting himself off. He offered a hand to Keith, like he did when they first met, and Keith took it, hoisting himself up.

 

“Let’s go meet Hunk. You’re gonna  _ love  _ his cooking, I promise.” Lance ushered Keith out the door, but Lance stopped, quickly turning on his heel and grabbing Keith’s sketch, folding it up and placing it in his pocket. “Next time I have a day off, you have to show me these tulips.” Lance said, leading Keith out of the cargo area. Keith chuckled, nodding his head.

 

“Of course.”

 

——

 

They walked around the ship, and Keith noticed that the sun did indeed set, and the remaining daylight was slowly beginning to fade away. Their walk was relatively quiet, no doubt because both of their minds were racing with thought.

 

Did Keith just misread the situation? He was sure he just made it awkward. But he became utterly useless under Lance’s hearty gaze. He looked at Keith as if nothing else mattered, and Keith loved that feeling, absolutely. He didn’t want to admit it, but he desperately wanted to kiss Lance in that moment. And he felt as though he missed that chance.

 

Did Lance come on too strong? It seemed like Keith had never been in a relationship before, and was put off my Lance’s approach. Or maybe he was put off by Lance opening up to him. He didn’t know, but he did know that he loved the way Keith looked at him when he thought Lance wasn’t paying attention. Like Lance was the most attractive man Keith had ever seen. It made Lance feel special,  _ wanted.  _ He knew for sure that he desperately wanted to kiss Keith in that moment. And he felt as though he missed that chance.

 

“Hunk!” Lance called out, and Hunk, who looked to be plating their dinner, turned his head, smiling at Lance. “Hunk, this is Keith, that fish merchant I was telling you about, and Keith, this is Hunk, my shipmate and my best friend.” Lance introduced, and Keith waved awkwardly, in which Hunk laughed.

 

“Nice to meet you!” Hunk said, and began passing out plates of Carp. Keith had never had it before, as surprising as that sounded. He was slightly nervous about it.

 

“I thought  _ I  _ was your best friend!” Pidge exclaimed, shoving a large piece of fish into her mouth. She was incredibly unladylike, Keith noticed, and respected her very much for it. Keith’s least favorite thing about the mainland was the overabundant amount of pompous, “ladylike” women who scoffed at people like Keith.

 

“You wish, you little gremlin. And don’t talk with your mouth full! Your mother would be so disappointed in your lack of table manners, young lady.” Hunk joked, and the three of them laughed. Even Keith let himself chuckle a little. While he felt slightly out of place to the group of friends, he felt himself melting into their graces.

 

“So, what do you guys do on this ship?” Keith asked. He was genuinely curious on what the duties were of being a crew mate. Secretly, as a child, he always wanted to be the captain of a vessel. He wondered what that job would entail.

 

“A little bit of everything, I suppose. When you work on a ship, you do a little bit of everything, for the most part. Some have specialties, however.” Lance replied. Keith nodded.

 

“Like me, I’m always fitting the ship with new technology and keeping it pristine and running.” Pidge said, nodding at all the visible piping that ran throughout the room they sat in. “My handiwork.”

 

“And I’m an engineer, I keep the wheels, figuratively, turning on this ship.” Hunk added.

 

“Lance?” Keith looked over at Lance, who simply shrugged.

 

“Nothing nearly as memorable as these two, I can tell you.” Lance waved off, but Hunk scoffed, as if offended that Lance was selling himself short.

 

“Lance has photographic memory and a great sense of direction. He helps with the navigation and our routes and all that cool stuff.” Hunk said, and Pidge nodded.

 

“Yeah, Boss usually has Lance help him with drawing up maps and stuff. And they’re working on some secret route that I’m technically not supposed to know about.” Pidge teased, and Lance rolled his eyes at her.

 

“I told you, it’s nothing special. Boss is half Altean, after all.” Lance said, and Keith furrowed his brows.

 

“What’s he got you working on?” Keith asked.

 

“Just a map on the Altean islands. Alteans are a nomadic people, so it’s a little tricky to know where they all are. Boss has me help him out with it. He probably just wants to connect with his culture.” Lance said, and his tone indicated that he wanted the conversation to end there. And it did.

 

The four talked for what felt like hours, and Keith strangely felt at ease with the bunch. Especially with Lance’s welcoming presence at his side, looking over at him and giving him a smile and, of course, a ridiculous wink that shouldn’t make Keith all flustered, but did. They talked about their families, and before they got to Lance, they asked Keith. He didn’t go into detail about his past like he did with Lance, but brought up who was in his inner circle as of the present.

 

“It’s really just me and my brother Shiro, and our family friend, Allura.” Keith asked, and Pidge seemed to choke on her drink, while Hunk and Lance grinned like wicked fiends.

 

“Allura? Altean, sells fabrics?” Hunk asked, and Keith nodded.

 

“Don’t you dare.” Pidge warned, and her tone would have made Keith back off, but Hunk looked unfazed, and he looked right at Keith.

 

“Allura’s got an assistant, Romelle, and Pidge is  _ in love  _ with her. Like, head over heels! I just wish she would stop being such a Nervous Nelly and just asked her out already, she’s clearly into Pidge.” Hunk exclaimed, and Pidge’s face turned bright red.

 

“You only think that because you want us to be together. She barely even knows I exist!” She argued, and Lance chuckled by Keith’s side, bumping his shoulder, insinuating that he wanted Keith to follow him.

 

“This can go on forever, let’s get out of here. We still have to go get your shipment.” Keith nodded, following Lance out of Hunk’s quarters, and he couldn’t help but smile at Pidge’s high pitched, “ _ what!?”  _ at a comment by Hunk that Keith didn’t hear.

 

Lance helped Keith with his shipment crates, like he did last time, and once they got everything back to Keith’s tent, they unloaded.

 

“Thanks.” Keith said, and Lance smiled and nodded.

 

“Don’t mention it. Say, where do you live exactly? You don’t live in this tent, do you?” Lance asked, faked horror lacing his tone, and Keith smiled, shaking his head no.

 

“I live right there, actually.” Keith pointed at the cabin-like home right across the pavement from his kiosk. It was made completely of wood, and a light from the inside was still on.  _ Shiro’s still awake. _

 

“Cute house! I’ve always wanted to live in a house.” Lance said, his voice taking on the same somber tone as when he was talking about his life on deck. Keith didn’t want to pry.

 

“I’m sure you will someday.” Was all Keith could think to say, and he hoped to God it was enough. It seemed to be, as Lance nodded.

 

Keith made his way to his front door, and turned back to Lance, who had a sour look on his face.

 

“What?” Keith asked, slightly alarmed.

 

“When did you get taller than me?” Lance accused.

 

Keith hadn’t even noticed it until right then, but Lance was right. In the month that they were apart, Keith had grown slightly. Not too much, but now, instead of being at exact eye height with Lance, Keith was now looking just above his eyebrows. Keith laughed at that.

 

“I’m a growing boy, I can’t control it.” Keith joked, and Lance scoffed.

 

“Whatever. You see, next time we see each other,  _ I’ll  _ be taller than  _ you.”  _ Lance said, and Keith simply smiled.

 

They both didn’t really want that night to end, but unfortunately, they knew it had to.

 

“I… I guess I’ll see you around soon?” Keith said, and Lance nodded. They waved to each other, and both turned around, Lance walking back to the docks and Keith to his door, pressing his hand against the doorknob, hesitating in favor of thinking. When would they see each other again? He hoped it was soon.

 

Keith was startled when a hand tugged at his wrist, and he turned around to see Lance, who closed his eyes and placed a kiss on Keith’s left cheek.

 

Keith’s entire body felt like it was becoming engulfed in flames, but in the best way possible. Lance pulled away, giving Keith a smile.

 

“Can I count on you to wait for me on the mainland? Can I look forward to seeing you again when I come back?” Lance asked, hand still grasping onto Keith’s wrist. Keith never wanted Lance to let go. Lance never wanted to let go.

 

“Yes, yes, of course I’ll wait for you. I can’t wait to see you again.” Keith said, sounding slightly out of breath. Lance smiled at that, reluctantly letting go of Keith.

 

“I’ll see you soon.” Lance said, turning back around and going back to the docks. Before he hopped the wall, he spared one last glance at Keith, and gave him a wave. Keith returned it.

 

Of course.  _ Of course. _

 

_ Of course I’ll wait for you. _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> uwu Season 6 tells me that Keith got bigger? I’m taking this and RUNNING with it. I’m truly a slut for beefy Keith.
> 
> Also, comments always make me feel good!! It encourages me to keep writing. :)


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